New Original Web Series ‘KATIE & SHAUN’
Shines Significant Light on Anxiety and
Depression

World Premiere on YouTube Beginning May 26, 2017

NEW YORK (May 11, 2017) – The new original web series, KATIE & SHAUN, which shines a significant and meaningful light on anxiety and depression, makes its World Premiere on YouTube beginning Friday, May 26th. The six-minute dramatic installments come from creative British husband-and-wife duo Matt Thomas (Writer) and Susan Allen (Director), produced under their Something Pretty banner.

KATIE & SHAUN chronicles two people looking for connection while dealing with the realities of living with anxiety and depression. The story follows Katie (Meghan Maguire) and Shaun (Ricky Goldman) in sessions with their psychologists and beyond. Each must deal with the tolls that their conditions take on their lives, the strategies they employ and the lies they tell themselves to cope. When Katie and Shaun start up a relationship, they are forced to come to terms with their relative disorders, and contemplate the personal growth required to be happy.

With approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. -- 43.8 million, or 18.5% -- experiencing mental illness in a given year, Thomas and Allen were looking for a way to shed light on this important topic. Thomas wrote the piece last year, after reflecting on his own experience with anxiety and depression, and what it means to be mentally well. He shares, “Most representations of mental disorders out there didn’t really ring true for me, so I wanted to explore how parts of my own experience might play out onscreen.”

Allen adds, “We both have personal experience with mental health, and we’ve supported family and friends over the years, so it’s a story close to our hearts. First and foremost, we hope people will find the show entertaining. And if someone feels less alone, or more like they can handle their own problems because of it, that would be amazing. By illuminating the characters’ struggles with anxiety and depression – which are often confusing or debilitating, sometimes downright frustrating, and yet just one part of who they are – we hope to foster a deeper and broader understanding of mental health, and its role in the human experience.”

Authenticity for the film was a key factor for Thomas and Allen. They turned to The Positive Mind Center in New York City, cultivating a rich partnership which resulted in filming on location at their offices.

About Something PrettySomething Pretty is the New-York-based independent production company of husband-and-wife duo Matt Thomas and Susan Allen. Something Pretty believes in a life well-expressed. We collaborate with passionate storytellers and craftspeople to bring moments to life through the power of film.